Matt Gaetz Controversy Explained: Sexual Misconduct Allegations Sink Trump’s Attorney General Nominee
Key Facts
Gaetz has faced allegations of paying for sex, having sex with an underage 17-year-old and illicit drug use—which he denies—which are now the subject of a House Ethics Committee investigation.
Gaetz, who resigned from Congress last week, did not explicitly cite the allegations as a reason for his withdrawal, but said in an X post Thursday, “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle.”
Joel Leppard, a lawyer for women who testified to the committee, told Politico on Monday his clients attended between five and 10 “sex parties” with Gaetz between 2017 and 2018, when the lawmaker was already in Congress, and one witnessed Gaetz “having sex with her friend,” who was underage at the time.
Leppard also told ABC News that Gaetz paid Leppard’s clients for sex, and ABC reported Tuesday on records showing more than $10,000 in Venmo payments Gaetz paid to the two women between July 2017 and January 2019, with the women reportedly testifying that at least some of those payments were for sex.
The New York Times on Wednesday published a largely redacted chart “that shows a web of thousands of dollars in Venmo payments between Mr. Gaetz and a group of his friends, associates and women who had drug-fueled sex parties between 2017 and 2020” that it reported the House Ethics Committee had as part of its investigation into Gaetz.
The House Ethics Committee has been investigating Gaetz since last year, when a similar Justice Department probe ended without charges being brought, and committee members were reportedly due to vote on whether to release the report Friday, but their meeting got canceled after Gaetz abruptly resigned from Congress.
The committee met Wednesday but did not come to an agreement on whether to release its report—which threatened to derail Gaetz’s confirmation as attorney general, which is already precarious as even GOP lawmakers have opposed his nomination.
Anonymous sources cited by The New York Times and CBS News on Tuesday report a hacker has also gained access to unredacted legal depositions concerning Gaetz—including testimony from the minor he allegedly had sex with—though it is unclear what the hacker’s motivations are, and none of those leaked documents have been made public.
Gaetz has strongly denied the claims against him and the Trump transition team had doubled down on backing him as attorney general, with spokesperson Alex Pfeiffer telling Forbes on Monday Gaetz is “the right man for the job” and the allegations against him are “baseless allegations intended to derail the second Trump administration.”
Crucial Quote
“Trump's DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1,” Gaetz tweeted. “I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I'm certain he will Save America. “
Key Background
The Justice Department’s investigation into Gaetz stemmed from charges it brought against his associate Joel Greenberg, a former tax collector who took a plea deal in 2021, pleading guilty to charges including child sex trafficking and wire fraud. He was later sentenced to 11 years in prison. Multiple outlets reported at the time that Greenberg had given law enforcement information about Gaetz, alleging both he and the lawmaker paid women for sex—which would violate federal sex trafficking laws—as investigators reportedly probed whether Greenberg procured women for Gaetz. The Washington Post and CNN reported in 2021 that Gaetz “boasted” about women he met through Greenberg and showed colleagues videos of nude women, whom the Post reported appeared to be adults, but Gaetz has long denied that he has paid for sex or has had sex with minors. The DOJ reportedly ended its investigation into Gaetz in 2023 without bringing any charges, after prosecutors reportedly believed two central witnesses—Greenberg and one of Gaetz’s ex-girlfriends—could have credibility issues with a jury if the charges went to trial. Greenberg was previously charged with fabricating information about a political rival.
What Did Democrats Do To Oppose Gaetz?
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who still hold a majority for now, on Wednesday asked the FBI to turn over its complete file on Gaetz, arguing the materials were necessary as they considered his nomination and the allegations against him “speak directly to his fitness to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the federal government.” The lawmakers did not provide a deadline for the FBI handing over the information and it’s unclear whether investigators will. Politico reported Monday that Democrats were also making contact with the women’s attorneys so they could discuss their clients’ allegations—and potentially speak with the women themselves—as they gear up for the confirmation fight. Democrats ultimately could not block Gaetz’s nomination on their own, however, as Republicans have a large enough majority to pass Trump’s nominees without any Democratic votes.
Will The House Committee Report Be Released?
It remains to be seen whether the report on Gaetz will be released: The House technically no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz now that he’s resigned, though the Associated Press notes that while extremely rare, the House has released reports on former members in the past. For instance, the committee released a report into former Rep. Bill Boner, D-Tenn., and his relationship with a government contractor in 1987, Punchbowl News noted. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he recommends the report not be released. Leppard told Politico his media blitz describing his clients’ allegations is an effort to persuade lawmakers to release the report, saying his clients “have already been through this several times and they really, really do not want to testify again, especially not on the floor of the Senate.” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., also told The Wall Street Journal he thought the report should only be released privately to senators, raising the possibility the report could be released to lawmakers but not made public. Watchdog group American Oversight has also separately sued the Justice Department for materials related to its Gaetz investigation, arguing there’s “an elevated and significant public interest in the quick release of these records.”
What Could The Report Say?
The House Ethics Committee’s investigation focused on whether Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct,” according to a statement it released in June. While it’s unclear what specific allegations the report could include, it could include details from previous depositions, including one from the minor Gaetz allegedly had sex with, and one from her friend. Both women were deposed as part of a civil lawsuit that Gaetz’s friend Christopher Dorworth brought against Greenberg and the alleged minor, and while their depositions are still under seal, CNN notes other testimonies reference what they said. Both the then-underage woman and a friend of hers testified under oath to having sex with Gaetz at a party—with the alleged minor claiming she had sex with Gaetz on an air hockey table with Dorworth present—and that there were drugs at the gathering including “alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy also known as molly, and marijuana.” (Dorworth denied those allegations, claiming in his deposition that the women made up the stories and he believed “people would lie themselves into these stories because of Matt’s political celebrity,” as quoted by CNN.) The House committee has also spoken to those same witnesses, CNN reports.
What Did Democrats Do To Oppose Gaetz?
Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee, who still hold a majority for now, on Wednesday asked the FBI to turn over its complete file on Gaetz, arguing the materials were necessary as they considered his nomination and the allegations against him “speak directly to his fitness to serve as the chief law enforcement officer for the federal government.” The lawmakers did not provide a deadline for the FBI handing over the information and it’s unclear whether investigators will. Politico reported Monday that Democrats were also making contact with the women’s attorneys so they could discuss their clients’ allegations—and potentially speak with the women themselves—as they gear up for the confirmation fight. Democrats ultimately could not block Gaetz’s nomination on their own, however, as Republicans have a large enough majority to pass Trump’s nominees without any Democratic votes.
Will The House Committee Report Be Released?
It remains to be seen whether the report on Gaetz will be released: The House technically no longer has jurisdiction over Gaetz now that he’s resigned, though the Associated Press notes that while extremely rare, the House has released reports on former members in the past. For instance, the committee released a report into former Rep. Bill Boner, D-Tenn., and his relationship with a government contractor in 1987, Punchbowl News noted. House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has said he recommends the report not be released. Leppard told Politico his media blitz describing his clients’ allegations is an effort to persuade lawmakers to release the report, saying his clients “have already been through this several times and they really, really do not want to testify again, especially not on the floor of the Senate.” Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., also told The Wall Street Journal he thought the report should only be released privately to senators, raising the possibility the report could be released to lawmakers but not made public. Watchdog group American Oversight has also separately sued the Justice Department for materials related to its Gaetz investigation, arguing there’s “an elevated and significant public interest in the quick release of these records.”
What Could The Report Say?
The House Ethics Committee’s investigation focused on whether Gaetz “engaged in sexual misconduct and illicit drug use, accepted improper gifts, dispensed special privileges and favors to individuals with whom he had a personal relationship, and sought to obstruct government investigations of his conduct,” according to a statement it released in June. While it’s unclear what specific allegations the report could include, it could include details from previous depositions, including one from the minor Gaetz allegedly had sex with, and one from her friend. Both women were deposed as part of a civil lawsuit that Gaetz’s friend Christopher Dorworth brought against Greenberg and the alleged minor, and while their depositions are still under seal, CNN notes other testimonies reference what they said. Both the then-underage woman and a friend of hers testified under oath to having sex with Gaetz at a party—with the alleged minor claiming she had sex with Gaetz on an air hockey table with Dorworth present—and that there were drugs at the gathering including “alcohol, cocaine, ecstasy also known as molly, and marijuana.” (Dorworth denied those allegations, claiming in his deposition that the women made up the stories and he believed “people would lie themselves into these stories because of Matt’s political celebrity,” as quoted by CNN.) The House committee has also spoken to those same witnesses, CNN reports.
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